ETCP Entertainment Electrician Practice Test

Which statement best defines a continuous load under NEC?

A load that continues for two hours.

A load that continues for three hours or more; it requires sizing conductors at 125% of the continuous rating.

Continuous load is defined by duration: a load that is expected to run for three hours or more. Because heat from current builds up with time, NEC requires conductors and protection sized at 125% of the continuous load’s current to keep temperatures within safe limits. So for a load that draws a given current continuously, you multiply that current by 1.25 to determine conductor size and overcurrent protection.

This matches the idea that a load running for three hours or longer needs a 125% sizing, rather than any shorter-duration or non-duration-based rule. For example, a device drawing 12 A continuously would require conductors and a protective device sized for 15 A (12 × 1.25). The other statements fail because they describe durations shorter than three hours, or conditions unrelated to the duration-based sizing NEC uses for continuous loads.

A load that never uses more than 5 amps.

A load that is used only during testing.